Tour of Britain will push off on The Strand

THE UK’s biggest professional cycle race has today announced that it will push off from Liverpool in September.

The city will host the opening stage of the Tour of Britain which attracts world class cyclists like Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish, Chris Froome and all the other Olympic and Tour de France stage winners.

This is the first time the city has hosted the opening stage, although it has been involved with the event before.

Proposals are in place for Stage One to start and finish on The Strand. It will consist of ten laps of a 13 kilometre circuit.

Liverpool’s Assistant Mayor and Cabinet Member responsible for sport, Councillor Wendy Simon said: “We’re pushing ahead with plans for a cycling revolution in this city. The latest figures show more people than ever are using bikes here and there’s a real appetite for it at the moment. And with the launch of our cycle hire scheme – the biggest in the UK outside of London - there has never been a better time for Liverpool to host this high profile event.”

The Liverpool route will be revealed in the near future, along with details of a mass participation event to coincide with the Tour of Britain’s arrival in the city.

Race Director, Mick Bennett, said: “We are delighted that this year’s Tour of Britain can start with such a prestigious stage in the centre of Liverpool.

“The opening circuit will be perfectly suited to the sprinters, and whoever wins Stage One will pull on the first yellow jersey of 2014.”

The 2014 Tour of Britain will take place across eight days – from 7-14 September.

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